Lionhearts ||Skephalo||

56

As they begin making their way up the stairs and inside, Skeppy considers the prince for a moment longer, wondering why it is that he rubs him the wrong way so easily. It doesn't make sense— he's usually rather easygoing and good natured, so to be so quickly and unfairly volatile towards someone is rather unusual.

Sapnap nudges him as he thinks.

"Hey. Dude. It's almost time to head to the Nether, isn't it? We're going tomorrow, yeah?"

Skeppy shrugs in response to the question.

"...Probably? We should get going as quickly as possible. I don't know too much about the Nether but I do know it will be impossible to track time once we're in there, at least by clocks and other similar means we usually use."

Philza chuckles lowly.

"Oh, it will be clear when it's night," he assures the pair, "It's really quite impossible to miss, if I'm honest."

Sapnap and Skeppy exchange similarly perturbed looks, and Sapnap asks,

"Yeah? How's that work?"

"It goes pitch black except for lava," Philza says dryly. "You can barely see a stone's throw into the distance without a torch. All the plants and animals usually lighting the place up just— shut down." Skeppy swallows, uneasy at the concept of traversing such perilous terrain in pitch blackness.

"Would've been great if I had known that earlier," he mutters, regretting not having asked the teens about the Nether. They head upstairs and turn the corner to head to the room where Dream is, sitting with George as the two chat quietly while preparing to rest for the night. Dream glances up, and raises a brow at the group.

"Philza? To what do I owe the honor?" He enquires with a slight humorous tone. Philza laughs quietly.

"Prophecy mumbo jumbo. We need to do some history review— Skeppy, take it away."

Skeppy pauses to consider what he'd start with, and realizes that probably should be an apology...but something in the prince's proud demeanor just irritates him beyond lowering himself to that level.

"Are there any figures known as the elder in your history books?" He launches in bluntly. Dream tilts his head, contemplating this question momentarily.

"...not that I can immediately call up, no. Maybe some context could help me figure out what you're asking for?"

"Eret gave me a prophecy of sorts," Skeppy explains, "And in it he said that 'the elder is calling the healer to action.' The healer is Bad, I'm sure of it. His magic and nature all are healing oriented, it couldn't be anybody else since the prophecy pertained to this group in particular and referenced George and you by similar titles— archer and mage prince." Dream nods slowly, and rests his hand on his knee as he mulls it over.

"If I am the mage prince, and he is the archer," he leans his head towards George, "and Bad is the healer, then there's a few things that could be the elder. All of them are rather bad possibilities, ranging from the Wither to ancient mages."

Philza's breath hisses sharply between his teeth as Dream suggests the Wither, and he sharply interjects,

"Techno and I put that thing back in the double grave where it belongs, I doubt it's the Wither." Wilbur nods sagely, and George glances from Dream to Skeppy, and then to Philza briefly.

"What's the others you think likely?" He asks quietly, waiting for Dream to continue.

"...It's hard to say," Dream admits, "Something powerful and malevolent was clearly hanging around Bad before his death." Skeppy's hand clenches reflexively, and Sapnap narrows his eyes at him worriedly. "Something powerful enough to repulse my scrying, and to cause real distress to a dreamwalker."